Mandarin Chinese reference
坐
zuò
to sit; to take a form of transport
Verb pattern · 13 form tables
Mandarin verbs do not change for tense. These tables show aspect, negation, questions and sentence patterns. Short phrases omit the subject; full examples retain theirs.
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Aspect
Plain statement
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zuòsit |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zuò lesat |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zuò guohave sat before |
Ongoing state
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zuò zhebe sitting |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào zuò lebe about to sit |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì zuòwill sit |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bú zuòdo not sit |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi zuòdid not sit |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zuò ma?do you sit? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zuò bu zuò?do you sit? |
Patterns
Plain
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| telling somebody to sit | zuòSit down |
| inviting them to sit | zuò baGo ahead and sit down |
| asking to sit yourself | wǒ zuò zhèrI will sit here |
| asking them not to sit | bié zuò zhèrDo not sit here |
Softer
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| telling somebody to sit | qǐng zuòPlease sit down |
| inviting them to sit | nǐ xiān zuò baGo ahead and sit down first |
| asking to sit yourself | wǒ kěyǐ zuò zhèr ma?May I sit here? |
| asking them not to sit | qǐng bié zuò zhèrPlease do not sit here |
Softest
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| telling somebody to sit | qǐng zuò yí xiàPlease sit down for a moment |
| inviting them to sit | wǒ men zuò yíhuìr baLet's sit for a while |
| asking to sit yourself | qǐngwèn, wǒ kěyǐ zuò zhèr ma?Excuse me, may I sit here? |
| asking them not to sit | néng bu néng bié zuò zhèr?Could you please not sit here? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.